1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to mirrors for automobiles and, more specifically, to an angled mirror that is side-mounted on the rear of motor vehicle and works in conjunction with the side view mirror to laterally extend the drivers field of vision when obstructed by an adjacent vehicle.
Motorists tend to rely on rear and side view mirrors while backing out of a spot when their field of vision is obstructed on one or more sides. The limited field of vision provided by the rear and side view mirrors is fine for viewing what is behind and immediately beside the vehicle but is woefully inadequate for recognizing a tangentially approaching vehicle which is the primary cause of accidents in parking lots. The present invention seeks to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art by providing an angled mirror on a rear portion of the motor vehicle that will be viewable in the side view mirror to permit the driver to see perpendicularly approaching traffic while backing out. The present invention is to be mounted on both sides of the vehicle and may be manufactured in new vehicles or retrofit to existing ones.
When manufactured in new vehicles, the present invention may be selectively adjusted by the driver using controls and technology similar to that currently in use for adjusting side view mirrors such as cables or RF signals. Furthermore, the mirror of the present invention may be retractable to sit flush with the body of the vehicle to maintain the aerodynamic properties thereof. Many other features may be integrated with the present invention such as a heating element for defrosting/defogging the mirror, a protective door that covers the mirror when in the retracted position and so forth.
The present invention may be temporarily or permanently affixed when retrofit to existing vehicles using any suitable attachment means such as bolts or screws, adhesive, magnetic fasteners and the like.
The present invention seeks to reduce the risks and hazards involved in backing up a motor vehicle by reducing blind spots created by adjacent obstructions.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There are numerous mirror-viewing devices for motor vehicles known in the art. While these mirror-viewing devices may be suitable for the purposes for which they were designed, they would not be as suitable for the purposes of the present invention as hereinafter described.